Adelaide of Italy, also called Adelaide of Burgundy, was Holy Roman Empress by marriage to Emperor Otto the Great. She was crowned with him by Pope John XII in Rome on 2 February 962. She was the first empress designated consors regni, denoting a "co-bearer of royalty" who shared power with her husband. She was essential as a model for future consorts regarding both status and political influence. She was regent of the Holy Roman Empire as the guardian of her grandson in 991–995.
Adelaide of Italy
Adelaide and her second spouse Otto I; Meissen Cathedral, Germany
Chapel of St. Adelaide, Église Saint-Étienne de Seltz
Relic attributed to St. Adelaide.
Otto I, traditionally known as Otto the Great, or Otto of Saxony, was East Frankish king from 936 and Holy Roman Emperor from 962 until his death in 973. He was the eldest son of Henry the Fowler and Matilda of Ringelheim.
Depiction of Otto on his seal in 968
12th-century stained glass depiction of Otto I, Strasbourg Cathedral
Side view of the Throne of Charlemagne at Aachen Cathedral, where Otto was crowned King of Germany in 936
Central Europe, 919–1125. The Kingdom of Germany included the duchies of Saxony (yellow), Franconia (blue), Bavaria (green), Swabia (orange) and Lorraine (pink left). Various dukes rebelled against Otto's rule in 937 and again in 939.
